Protectors and guards for vehicle headlights of many different designs are currently available and in use. In the case of headlights, the guards or protectors are usually formed of a plastics or acrylic material and shaped such as to conform substantially to the shape of the vehicle headlight. Commonly such guards or protectors have integrally formed clipping members which permit the guard or protector to be releasably mounted adjacent to the vehicle headlight.
Protectors for tail-lights can be of a number of different forms however in one configuration they comprise a generally planar plastics member which is secured to the tail-light lens or adjacent portion of the vehicle body by adhesive tape such as doubled sided adhesive tape.
It is common for the sake of aesthetic appearance to manufacture protectors or guards of the above type from a tinted plastics or acrylic material to provide, for example a smoke grey appearance. Whilst protectors and guards of this form may improve the appearance of a vehicle, the tint substantially reduces light transmission through the guard or protector which obviously is detrimental to safety and lighting efficiency.
Vehicle hood protectors and deflectors are designed to be used at the front of a vehicle, usually being secured to the vehicle hood. Hood protectors and guards of this type are intended to protect the front of the vehicle hood from damage, such as stone damage and may also be shaped so as to deflect debris, insects or the like over the vehicle windshield and hood and past the fenders. Hood protectors and guards are usually constructed of a thermoformed plastic or acrylic material and as with headlight and tail-light protectors, are often tinted. Whilst such devices function efficiently, they tend to cause in some instances reflection or refraction of sunlight and other light, for example from other vehicle headlights, towards the driver of the vehicle which obviously can cause distraction and lead to danger in certain circumstances.
Other similar vehicle accessories formed of shaped plastics material, such as side window visors are designed to allow driving with a window open adjacent to which the visor is mounted, whilst deflecting dust, wind and rain away from the vehicle. Visors of this type are also usually constructed of tinted plastics or of a transparent material. In the case of a tinted plastics material, the driver's view through the visor is reduced which therefore can create danger. The transparent guards, while allowing for improved viewing create problems with reflections and refraction.
Similar disadvantages also occur with rear window visors which, if of a tinted construction substantially, reduce visibility through a rear window or which if transparent, can create reflections.
The present invention aims to provide vehicle body accessories which have advantages over the prior art or which at least provide an alternative to the known vehicle body accessories and in particular to tinted vehicle accessories. The present invention further aims to provide vehicle body accessories which allow for a degree of light transmission but which also reduce or minimise light reflection or refraction encountered in current accessories.
The present invention aims in a further preferred aspect to provide vehicle body accessories which are of an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.